Look, the R nineT is a very classy looking bike… But do you know what is even classier? NMoto’s Nostalgia R7 look-alike build. Unfortunately, you probably don’t have enough trade-in value to swap your BMW R nineT for the $50,000 Nostalgia, but now NMoto has a cheaper option to achieve the same look for pennies on the dollar.
NMoto is finally offering a bolt-on kit a year after unveiling its Nostalgia build; A 1934 BMW R7 throwback. It’s unfortunate for some who paid the 50k total cost to have them build one for you, but for the rest of us (who have some time on our hands and a spare R nineT hanging around), this is your golden ticket to classic riding.
The complete bolt-on kit will cost you approximately $6,950, and requires no cutting, welding, or drilling into your precious R nineT; Which is great in the event you want to revert it back to stock for resale. It maintains the stock ergonomics of the bike, so although your steed may look different, there will be a sigh of relief knowing it will feel and ride the same. The kit is available for pre-order this October through NMotowith a $100 refundable reservation fee (free shipping on pre-orders) and will come to select BMW dealers down the line.
TVS is an important motorcycle manufacturer in India and the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V received some updates.
The bike looks great. It’s sporty and modern. The bike offers a 200cc engine and 270mm front disc brake and 240mm rear disc brake. There’s dual-channel ABS and the company has also launched a single-channel ABS version, according to Indian Autos Blog.
The RTR 200 4V isn’t a new motorcycle, rather TVS made some updates to the bike for this model year. The updates include the new ABS and full LED lights. The bike also features TVS SmartXonnect, rear wheel lift-off protection, a slipper clutch, radial rear tire, feather touch electric start, and a fully-digital instrument cluster.
The engine his been BS6 certified, and it and will put out about 20 hp and about 12 lb-ft of torque. It should be a hit in the Indian market, but I’d really like to see TVS export this bike to North America and Australia. The little motorcycle would be a great competitor to the other small-displacement bikes that are currently available.
One of the biggest obstacles for electric ADV bikes is the fact that battery technology just simply isn’t there yet. However, that might be changing and sooner than you think, according to ADV Pulse.
The publication notes that battery technology is quickly progressing. Things like pre-charged swappable batteries, which are already in some scooters and are currently being developed via an alliance between Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha, could make getting a fresh battery as easy as pulling into a battery-swapping station for fully charged battery.
Also, battery ranges continue to improve every year. Lucid Motors has a massive battery on its new car and Tesla’s future batteries are supposed to get 500 miles per charge with short charge times. At the same time battery lifespans are increasing. Tesla’s new battery is supposed to be good for up to a million miles, which will eliminate the need for most folks to replace a battery.
All of these developments will take some time to make their way to motorcycles, but they will and it will likely happen before you expect it. The new battery technology is coming. Even now, it’s pretty impressive what can be done on an electric motorcycle. A bonafide electric ADV bike has yet to be seen, but with these recent developments and what’s coming, it’s likely right around the corner.
The partnership between KTM and CFMoto has now created a large-displacement touring motorcycle. The bike is called the 1250TR-G. It was recently revealed at the CIMA show in China.
The 1250TR-G features KTM’s LC-8 1,279cc twin engine at the heart of the touring motorcycle, and it will put out 140 hp and 89 lb-ft of torque.
The bike doesn’t just have good power and torque from a KTM-sourced engine. According to Bennetts, it also managed to leverage its relationship with KTM to get WP Suspension components and Brembo brakes. There are even a JBL built-in stereo system and a 12.3-inch TFT dash.
The new bike looks like it could rival motorcycles like the Honda Goldwing in terms of equipment and technology and features. It will be interesting to see how CFMoto’s new bike stacks up against the competition.
The company hasn’t released pricing yet on the motorcycle and the bike is currently only scheduled for sale in the Chinese market, though I could see this being a winner for CFMoto on a global scale. If you could get a bike that provides KTM levels of technology and performance at a much lower price point, I could see riders around the globe happy to make the purchase.
Now they have signed a deal with another Chinese company, QJ-Motor, to distribute their bikes in China and possibly produce their bikes “at a later stage”.
New MV boss Timur Sardarov told us earlier this year that Chinese motorcycle manufacturing was well established and the economy was “quick-reacting economy, not disorganised”.
“They have one goal and they are ready to grow again,” he said.
“Their market is showing incredible growth already after the coronavirus.
“Let’s be very clear, we are developing our own platform and Loncin will industrialise it and produce for us for the world market.”
He rebutted suggestions the low-capacity Chinese-made bikes would dilute the premium Italian brand.
“Porsche is a premium product, but they have different products from $1m down to $50,000 and it’s still a premium product by quality not price,” Timur says.
“They (the Chinese-made bikes) will be the most expensive bikes in their category because they will have premium components.
“In comparison with KTM and Honda they will be more expensive, but have better performance and better build.”
The new deal with QJ-Motor will initially involve the distribution of MV Agusta models through a network of flagship stores across the country.
However, it may also involve production of their bikes in China, according to the strange wording in their press release:
“At a later stage the partnership will also have important developments on the industrial front, and collaboration in that sense is presently being defined.”
John Mulder is a member of both the Classic Motorcycle Club of Victoria and the Australian Street Rod Federation which entitles him to describe himself as a “genuine motoring enthusiast”.
“I’m a strong believer in the principle that the needs of all transport users in our community should be given equal value and the needs of one particular group should not be promoted at the expense of another,” he says.
John’s appointment to the RACV board would not only bring an active motorcyclist’s perspective to the table but also the experience of a company director with a long list of senior executive and non-executive director appointments to his name.
If John is successful in his bid to join the RACV board he would be ideally placed to represent the interests of all Victorian motorcyclists during future policy development discussions.
John and his wife Annie are both part of the Victorian motorcycling community, and living in Torquay at the start of the Great Ocean Road why wouldn’t they be!
His ride of choice these days is a 1977 Harley he brought in from the US 10 years ago and has lovingly restored.
The ACV’s first run from Melbourne to Mordialloc on December 6, 1903.
John says he is happy to speak with anyone from the motorcycling community who has a view on the future of our passion.
“The key matters raised with me to date include the lack of transparency surrounding the Victorian motorcyclist safety levy, the lack of consideration given to motorcyclists in road construction and road maintenance activities, and the cost of registration in Victoria given the modest impact that motorcycles have on our road surfaces compared with other vehicles,” he says.
“When speaking with fellow riders I get the distinct impression that many believe that over recent times our needs have most definitely been compromised by Government policy that is focused more on the needs of drivers, cyclists and public transport users.
“Motorcyclists find this trend difficult to understand when several reputable research studies have confirmed the benefits of promoting motorcycling within our communities.
“The positive impacts on traffic congestion, pollution, and parking in built-up areas are obvious for all to see,” he says.
Voting is now open and if you are an RACV member check your inbox for an email from CorpVote or your mobile for a text message.
If you have received neither contact CorpVote on 1300 147 797.
The majority of RACV members haven’t chosen to vote in previous elections but if you want your interests represented on such a significant Victorian motoring body, exercise your right and help put John Mulder on the board. Voting closes on 30 September 2020.
This morning, Harley Davidson announced that they will be bringing Gina Goetter onto the team as CFOaccording to GlobalNewswire. She has been a top financial executive at Tyson Foods and will be officially making the move on Sept 30. A ton of stuff is happening over at the Harley office, as just a few months back Jochen Zeitz was elected official president and CEO of the company.
The company is going through some big changes to hopefully section off more of the market for themselves after a lackluster performance over the last decade. It’s no surprise to me that they’re cleaning-house and attempting to breathe some fresh air into the 100+year-old brand. They have given this direction change an official title of “The Rewire” to continue through 2020 with 2021 introducing “The Hardwire” going onwards. We can only hope it pans out for them because the Harley Davidson brand is an important piece of American history.
“Gina is a CFO with the experience to drive a transformation of core processes and reporting for improved operational efficiency, build a global shared services model and modernize accounting and controls,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson. “She will add to the fresh perspectives and new capabilities now represented at the leadership level that complement the experienced talent that has been promoted from within. We have a diverse management team structured in a new way that is designed to fuel Harley-Davidson’s brand desirability and lead Harley-Davidson as a high-performing organization.”
The long-awaited annual Aldi motorcycle gear sale will be held throughout Australia on 30 September 2020, a month after its usual date due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And this year it will be held on a Wednesday rather than a Saturday, which will make it difficult for those who work.
Most of the riding gear on sale is fairly typical — gloves, pants, thermals, socks, and helmets — and all for males with no women-specific gear this time.
It’s a smaller-than-usual selection of items with no motorcycle jackets this year.
Other sale items are a tank/tail bag, disc lock, and bike cover.
The annual sale is usually extremely popular with riders but has also attracted its fair share of criticism for taking business away from dealers.
Those who support the sale say it provides good quality gear at cheap prices which encourages riders to wear safety gear when riding.
For example, the Euro-approved riding jeans cost just $89.99, disc lock and cover are $29.99, gloves $39.99, tail/tank bag $39.99 and the full-face helmet with drop-down sun visor is just $79.99.
Supply is limited, so it’s recommended that riders queue up early.
Sizing is also limited with the helmet, for example, in medium, large, and XL only.
Want to own your own motorcycle company? Carducci Dual Sport is offering a motorcycle design for sale. The unconventional adventure bike, the SC3 Gera Baja is based on a Harley-Davidson Sportster but is so much more than the Sportster is.
The SC3 was created by Jim Carducci who has a background in aerospace and engineering in Silicon Valley. He’s also a gearhead and obviously a rider.
The motorcycle is named after Tony Gera, 2016 Baja 1000 Ironman champion, he rode the bike and helped test the prototyped version of the bike.
According to ADV Pulse, Carducci is selling the manufacturing rights to the parts he has designed. This includes 2D and 3D CAD drawings and models for those parts as well as for the complete bike, the complete list of materials, assembly instructions, and exclusive use of the Bajaj patent and manufacturing rights.
Essentially, you’re getting everything you need to manufacture and sell the motorcycles. Carducci said that he has seen a lot of interest in the SC3 and would like to see the bike handed off to someone who can concentrate on manufacturing. He wants to specialize in designing, documenting, prototyping, and testing new customs.
Carducci said that’s he’s hoping to get $150,000 for the rights to everything listed above. and then $48,000 for the SCE Gera Baja CB#1. This is the only controlled build of the bike.
This could be a good choice for a company that wants to get into the ADV bike segment. It will be interesting to see what happens with the sale.
Motorcycle travel documentaries can encourage you to go on your own adventure and help inspire you. There’s another really good one coming. Sterling Noren of Noren Films managed to capture his 6,000-mile journey over 30 days of riding solo.
The 25-part series was filmed and produced was filmed by the rider and he knows what he’s doing. Noren has been creating motorcycle documentaries since 1998.
Noren has been creating the Backcountry Discovery Routes series of videos for the past 10 years. He’s well known for his work. This year he wasn’t able to do that because of COVID-19, so he took matters into his own hands.
He took his time and made the route up as he went. “I didn’t have an itinerary. There was no schedule. I was free to wake up and ride as far as I wanted, or as little as I wanted every day,” said Sterling.
He wanted to show how easy it is to take a backcountry trip in the USA. He travels through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
The episodes will air September 23, and you can watch it for free on Sterling Noren’s YouTube channel. You can also watch the trailer for the video series below.
